New York's 9/11 memorial expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors a day – in pictures

Demand was so high when reservations for passes to visit New York's
September 11 Memorial opened this week that the online box office temporarily crashed. Click through the gallery to see what the site will look like when it opens in September, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

The September 11 Memorial is expected to become one of the most popular attractions in New York, with up to 10,000 visitors a day. More than 66,000 people applied for visitor passes to the memorial in the first three days of reservations opening. A private ceremony for victims' families is being held at the site on September 11, the 10th anniversary of the attacks. It opens to the public on September 12. This image – and the following four – are computer-generated renderings of what the site will look like when completed. Illustration: PR

This is the south pool of the memorial. The site consists of two pools in the footprints of the twin towers, with cascading water and bronze parapets bearing the names of the 2,983 people who died in the attacks. Illustration: PR

The Museum Pavilion stands between the two pools. Due to open in September 2012, it will feature mementos donated by victims' relatives, and tell their stories. Artefacts will be displayed in the foyer, including remnants of twisted steel from the Twin Towers. Illustration: PR

People are advised to reserve their passes as far in advance as possible to guarantee a date and time of their choice (
911memorial.org, minimum donation $10). You can reserve up to six months in advance. Illustration: PR